"Nominated companies must: - Be in northern CA - Be independently owned (there are some great publicly traded companies out there, but it's the independent ones that can't share their stories during American Idol) - Make a physical product (service businesses tend to be inherently relationship-based, but it is harder to really get to know people behind product companies) Finally, we have to reserve the right to be selective about which companies we allow on the site. We poured our hearts into what you see, to ensure that it would build relationships with companies committed to a two-way conversation." - Thomas Hawk from Bookmarklet